Putting Your Best Foot Forward

I was sitting here reading over my notes from the amazing Thrive conference last weekend so that I can share all of the tips and tricks that I learned with you (coming to a blog near you Thursday!) and I realized a lot of my takeaways from the conference totally apply to not only my blogging journey, but also to basically every aspect of my corporate life.

The past couple weeks have been crazy busy. Not only did I come back from Thrive with a total blogger conference high and begin to implement all of the things that I learned, but in the past months at work I have taken on a promotion which of course comes more responsibility.

I put my whole heart into blogging, but I also put the same amount of hard work into my other career. I’ve worked in the corporate world for almost 9 years, but I continue to learn something new everyday. Going through my notes from the Thrive conference had me really starting to reflect my learnings as a blogger and as a Buyer so I thought it was so important to share these with everyone wanting to grow professionally in any field.

1.Just Ask– This sounds simple, but sometimes I think we get too caught up in assuming we know what the answer will be that we hold ourselves back from what could be. I was sitting in a meeting with a Director and we were discussing supplier contract renewals/negotiations. We were discussing things we were wanting from our supplier and though on paper it may have seemed like we were asking a lot, in the bigger picture we really weren’t. And what’s the worse that could happen? The supplier comes back with another offer and then you all eventually come to an agreement. If we wouldn’t have asked, we wouldn’t have gotten anything.

This same rule applies to blogging. Just ask. You want to collaborate with a company? Reach out, just ask. A company reaches out to you and you feel like the compensation they are offering isn’t enough? Ask for more. Remember how much time and heart you put into your work. What is that worth? Only you know the answer.

Also, this is a great thing to remember when interviewing or negotiating with a company who is looking to hire you. Repeat after me EVERYTHING IS NEGOTIABLE. EVERYTHING. Your happiness and quality of life is what is affected in the end so make sure you are making the right decision now of what even your future self will thank you for.

2. Kindness Over Competition– Goodness I cannot say this enough in regards to the blogging world. One may think that the perfect 10 blogger that you admire on social media is a competitive one, but that is so not the case. Like I mentioned earlier, I have had my feet planted in the corporate world for 9 years and I learn something new every day. That’s exactly how these seasoned bloggers feel. Become a part of the community to continue to learn from each other and to network.

In the corporate world, you will run into many people that are competition over kindness. I work my butt off and I’ll go above and beyond to ensure my entire team succeeds. That’s what is going to get you were you need to be. You’ll continue to grow professionally because you work your a$* off not because you’re willing to throw people under the bus. When you see that competitive, “I’ll throw anyone under the bus” type of person getting a promotion (because it will happen) don’t sweat it. That position wasn’t for you anyway. Everything happens for a reason I promise. God said so and I can honestly say he placed me exactly where I need to be.

3. Collaborate– This goes hand in hand with “Kindness over competition”. Collaborate. Collaborate. Collaborate. If I tried to figure everything out on my own at work there would not be enough hours in the day. Collaborate with individuals throughout your entire organization to get things done. You can’t be an expert in everything, but you can master that org chart. Know who you can reach 0ut to and how you can get your job done more effectively.

Collaboration is so key in the blog world too. Collaborating and having discussions with other passionate bloggers really get my creative juices flowing! Good energy is contagious! If you want to pitch a big brand as a “smaller” blogger then consider partnering up with other bloggers to pitch as a team or community. I love my tribe of blogger friends. I know that if I ever have a question I can ask them and if they don’t know the answer they’ll give me the name of the person who will. As a new blogger, I do not have the funds to outsource really anything. From photo editing, pitching to brands, responding to emails, writing content, editing my site, building relationships on social media, etc. so you’ll need your tribe to turn to for tips or a good cry when you are remembering all the things you need to do in a 24 hour day. So remember …COLLABORATE.

4. Be Authentic-Every speaker at the Thrive Blogger conference stated this. We all giggled when Ashley from Sugar and Cloth said “I know this is the most cliché thing you will hear at a blogger conference, but Be Authentic”. I couldn’t agree with her more. You want your readers to hear your voice through your written posts, you want them to see your personality through your pictures and really trust that even when you have a sponsored post it’s because you really believe in the brand you are writing about not because they are paying you to write about it.

Being authentic in the work place is also very important. Authenticity really shines through and so does fakeness. Remember that “throw everyone under the bus” person I mentioned earlier? I mean we all see it coming right? It doesn’t catch us by surprise because again…it shines through. We are all grown enough to see right through it so just be real guys and you don’t have anything to worry about.

5. Big Things Often Have Small Beginnings– Kristyn Merkley from Lil’ Luna made me smile when she said this at Thrive. Remember this guys, that CEO you admire and Sincerely Jules who we all adore didn’t just “wake up like that”. They worked to get where they are. I’m sure it started with a dream and a to do list. Don’t get overwhelmed with all the things you need to do. Get excited about where you know you’ll end up and remember to enjoy every second of your way to the top. Always take those moments to reflect where you started and remember to meet as many people as you can along the way! Some may just be a small chapter in your life and others will become your best friends.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope this leaves you with positive vibes ready to conquer the week! Also, remember putting your best foot forward is always much easier with pretty shoes!

Let me know if you have any questions. I’m always ready to chat, learn and collaborate!

These are so true and relevant. My favorite was about being authentic. I love when I feel like I can connect with a blogger as a reader!! So jelly you got to go to this!! So glad you went. Such powerful take-aways.

I seriously loved all these tips! Blogging is one the best decisions I’ve made but it can be so difficult and would LOVE to make friends and a support group. Your tips are so genuine, thanks for sharing. xo, Lohttp://www.rosesandrainboots.com

Hi love!! It was amazing!! I just knew of the Houston one from other local bloggers! I would try reaching out to other bloggers near you to see if they are aware of any! Also joining blogging groups always helps!! Xo!